


That Stupid Red String

by CerriVane



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-04-01 02:40:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4002733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerriVane/pseuds/CerriVane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bunch of one-shots, will take requests. Any pairing at all. But, I don't do smut, lemons, limes.</p><p>1. Caboose/OC: Broken Helmets Make For Good Hook Ups<br/>2. Donut: What we're trying to say!<br/>3. Modern School AU!: School Days Part One<br/>4. Felix/OC: Rehab for Love<br/>5. Tucker/OC: Our Weaknesses<br/>6. Modern School AU!Locus/OC: The Sexy Language<br/>7. Blood Gulch Blue Team-Centric: A New Addition To The Blues Part 1</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken Helmets Make For Good Hook Ups!

Rose had been good friends with the Reds and Blues since they arrived here in the Capital, she was one of the older members of the New Republic and a close friend of Smith's. Within the short time that they've been there, Caboose had taken an interest in her and immediately claimed her as his. You can only imagine how the others reacted, it was almost like it was yesterday. It all started in the repair room that she usually worked in.

"ROSEY!!" Rose jumped slightly and spun around to face her Commanding Officer, even though she couldn't his face she could tell he was panicking. It was more obvious the reason why when he ran right into the desk, Rose cringed as he fell to the ground.

"C-Captain, are you-"

Before she could finish her sentence Caboose jumped right back on his feet and launched himself right at her, they both went tumbling to the ground.

"Rosey, help me! The world is dark!"

"How'd you find me if you can't see?" She asked as she squirmed from underneath him, someone cleared their throat and they both looked up in that direction to see both Smith and Jensen standing there. Rose's face heated up from underneath her helmet but couldn't move from her spot.

"We brought him here, Captain Caboose's helmet broke and he wanted you to fix it." Smith explained as they walked over and pulled Caboose off, Jensen helped Rose up.

"I offered to fix it, but he refused."

"Oh, well, sure. I'll fix it."

"Then we'll leave him with you, we have to head to meet with the other lieutenants." They walked off and Rose waved good bye as Caboose came and clung to her arm.

"Rosey, I can't see you. Can you see me?" She giggled slightly and looked at Caboose with a smile and set him in a chair and prepared to take off his helmet.

"Sir, could I please remove your helmet?"

"Please, it's too dark." He pleaded, she slipped off the helmet and placed it on the the table. When she looked back to face him she stayed frozen.

"I can see again! How long has it been?" He asked as he looked around the room, he then looked back at Rose with a confused look.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?" He asked as he slurred his words, Rose would never say this out loud but Caboose was actually quite attractive.

"I-It's nothing! Just, I never saw your face before." She mumbled the last bit as looked in another direction.

"Then can I see your face?"

"Huh?"

"I never saw your face either, I want to see."

"Okay.." She hesitantly unlatched her helmet and too it off, he hair fell out and fell down her back. She avoided eye contact, feeling Caboose's eyes on her.

"You're really pretty!" Her cheeks heated up once more to match her name and forced herself to look him in the eye.

"T-Thank you, C-Captain."

"Can I kiss you?"

"E-Excuse me?" She struggled out, Caboose smiled at her with a huge smile.

"Tucker told me that when you like someone a lot, you kiss them on the lips."

"I...I, um, didn't know you liked me that way."

"Of course I do!"

Before Rose could respond, his lips landed right onto her. She was completely stunned, her heart stopped and so did everything around. During all of this, all four lieutenants were listening outside the room.

"Wow, Captain Caboose is real good with the ladies." Palomo whispered to Bitters who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Aw, that's so sweet." Jensen mused, Smith only smiled and nodded to himself in approval.


	2. What We're Trying To Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rose and Cerri try to get an answer out of Donut that has been eating away at them for so long.

Rose and Cerri sat in the Armory with Donut, an awkward silence filled the air. Donut was completely oblivious to the atmosphere that the two females were giving off.

"So, Donut..." Rose started, catching the pink soldier's attention.

"Yeah Rosey? What's up?"

"I was just wondering...do you like red or white wine better?"

"Hmm, I like both equally. They both have a good taste to them, and they go well with the cheeses that I eat."

"How do you feel about, uh, Grifball? Which team do you like best?"

"I'm not really into Grifball, not very exciting."

"Well, I think that Harry Styles XXI looks just like his ancestor. Really cute, right?"

"Oh definitely, but he wasn't that good looking, I'd say that Demi Lovato was  _much_ prettier."

Cerri knew this wasn't going anywhere, Rose wasn't that good with subtle questions and hints. So she decided to but in

"Alright, if you had to choose which one would you pick? Hotdog or Taco?"

"Well as long as it tastes good, I'd take them both!"

"Okay, this isn't going anywhere," Cerri stood up abruptly and stared down at Donut with a serious glare, "Donut are you gay or just incredibly flamboyant?!"

There was a long pause as the Canadian and the American stared at each other for a moment before Donut answered, "Oh, is that it? Honey, I don't just bat for one team."

"So, you're Bi?"

"That's right." Without warning, Rose and Cerri threw their arms around Donut and caught in a bear hug.

"We've always wanted a gay best friend! They're the only thing that a woman needs!"

"Really?! You guys wanna be Besties?!"

"Bestical Testi and Chesties!" Cerri exclaimed happily, at the moment her two now proclaimed best friends cheered along as well.

"What are you three doing?" Their cheering stopped when they came face to face with two of their friends, Michelle and Kayla. A spark ignited in Cerri that made her smirk in a mischievous manor.

"I have an idea."


	3. School Days: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll be splitting this into two parts, this circles around a few of the girl's days as seniors in high school. But they notice things that aren't supposed to be there.

Everyday seemed the same to them: get up in the morning, go to school, talk in the morning, go through classes, hang out during lunch, go back to class, school end and we all go home.  
  
It wasn't exactly perfect, but they were all okay with it. But today was just one of those days that didn't feel quite right.  
  
"So, basically what you're saying is that I should act more like Rose?"  
  
"I guess, yeah?"  
  
"But that isn't possible, Rose is a Disney Princess. I'm anything but a Disney Princess."  
  
Rose flushed as she pushed Cerri who laughed, this was an on going thing with them. But it wasn't like Rose enjoyed it.  
  
"Stop it! How many times do I have to say it? I. Am. Not!" She yelled embarrassed, Michelle and Kayla ignored her cries and continued to laugh.  
  
"But Rose, I'm serious about this. I even asked Mr. Holmes, and he said it was true as well."  
  
"Yeah, in the middle of Drama class! It was terrible!"  
  
"Okay-Okay, but in all seriousness," Kayla interrupted, she set her sketch book down, "Cerri should be at least a bit more feminine."  
  
"Fuck that! Kayla, I already told you. I'm not wearing a dress for prom! I'm not even going to prom! For two reasons, I don't have a boyfriend or a date. And two, I don't wanna be surrounded by my fellow classmates while they grind on each other and make out in the shadows."  
  
Michelle let out a faint giggle, so did the others.  
  
"I guess Cerri has a point, I mean I'm not going either. Kayla, you're going with Donovan. Rose, you're just going for the hell of it."  
  
"Yeah, but you and Cerri are gonna be hanging out with Xander and the others at his house." Kayla said in return, Michelle only shrugged and Cerri took the opportunity to speak.  
  
"Yeah, but we're doing this to find out what kind of drunks we are. It's for science, and curiosity."  
  
"You're so boring Cerri! I hate it when you do this!" Rose complained as she latched onto her arm, Cerri looked down at the flower with a blank expression as usual.  
  
"Rosey, all the magic happens inside my head. A whole paradise of philosophy and cluster fucks."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Hush child! Ass Daddy has spoken!" The African-Canadian exclaimed with pride, her friends looked at her in deep confusion before bursting out laughing.  
  
"Ass Daddy?! What the fuck?!" Kayla clutched her stomach, trying not to fall of the bench.  
  
"Yep, that's my new Pimp name. It happened during Science class, Cameron was reading Kassidy's bracelet which had her name on it. And accidentally read it 'Ass Daddy'. So now, that my new pimp name."  
  
"What about our hoe names?" Rose asked, her laughter dying down."  
  
"It still the same: for Rose it's Feathers, Michelle it's Rainbows, Kayla it's Tie-Dye, Donovan it's Mintos, Xander it's Creeper, for Jaden it's Claudia, for Justin and Elliot it's Cherry and Lime."  
  
"What about President G-String?" Rose said with a smirk, it immediately made Cerri curl into a ball and laugh loudly. Rose did the same and tears came to her eyes.  
  
"What the fuck is President G-String?" Kayla asked catching herself before a laugh escaped along with her question , Cerri looked in her direction wiping tears out of her eyes.  
  
"In English class we were supposed to come up with a thesis for a persuasive essay, and ours was if strippers and/or hookers could become President. And then it led to different ideas and we came up with the Hooker President: President G-String."  
  
"But what about Diamond Bear? You're forgetting about him." Michelle pointed out with a smirk, even though Rose was still laughing it died down a bit and hid her face.  
  
"No! Don't say that name! I still have nightmares of him! I hate you for making him, Cerri!"  
  
"It wasn't my all fault! It impregnated you a year before we met, and was born in your mind! Now the evil entity lives inside your mindscape forever, it's been two years now. You shouldn't be afraid of him anymore, you are his mother and I am the other mother."  
  
Rose stared at Cerri in disbelief, trying to contemplate why her friend would take the time to come up with a theory as to why Diamond Bead stuck in her mind so much. And exactly why she knew more about him than his own creator.  
  
"What about Kayla and Michelle?!"  
  
"They're family too, we spoil him way too much."  
  
"Okay, enough. We gotta get to class."  
  
Now, they sat in their first period class. Rose and Cerri sat together at their desks while Michelle and Kayla sat in front of them, in History class with the rest of their class. Their teacher, Mr. Mayers stood in front of the class with the usual gentle expression he had on his face. Once the bell range, he started off with something a bit unexpected.

"Class, we have a few new students, please stand up and introduce yourselves." 

Four students got up from their seat and introduced themselves immediately: there was a girl with red hair in a ponytail and bright green eyes, she seemed to give off this cold atmosphere. But the boy next to her, not so much, he was much more calm. He had spiky blonde and blue eyes, he was however a bit authoritarian.

"I'm Carolina Church, nice to meet you. You can call me by my first name."

"My name's David Washington, but everyone calls me Wash. Great to be part of the class."

As they sat down everyone turned their attention to the other two that were situated behind Rose and Cerri were next to introduce themselves: the one that caught Cerri's attention was this faintly tanned guy with hazel eyes, "The name's Felix McScouty, at your service." and his friend who was rather fall and dark-skinned with scar on his face. Shaped like an X, "Locus, that's all you need to know." Once they had sat down, Rose and Cerri exchanged a glance of suspicio, like something wrong. The atmosphere they gave off, it was clearly dangerous.

But this would only bring a more interesting plot.


	5. Rehab For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just something I wrote randomly, but it reflects the twisted relationship Cerri and Felix have with each other. And what the others can't see behind the masks.

She was always a challenge for him, something he’d never encountered. Locus had never expected Felix to have any difficulty decieving any of the soldiers of the New Republic, but he never took into account the fact that challenges excited Felix. Cerri Vane was one of them.

Ever since her, Rose and the the four unlikely captains had joined the rebels she had been suspicious of his motives, yet the interest on her part was of the same caliber. But Cerri knew how to keep her interests hidden from others. She herself was similar to Felix, she didn’t care much for this war but didn’t exactly hate nor dislike the people involved with it, even so it had its benefits. She was basically a neutral party, she didn’t fight the Federal Army and didn’t fight the New Republic. However, she would gladly help any side if they asked. She was a Mercenary in her own way, even as a soldier.

She made no effort to warm up anyone, she simply helped them out if they needed it and if she felt like it. She was a caring person, there was no doubt about that. But deep down, she was just as dark, sadistic, and deceitful as Felix. The difference though, is that she still had a little bit of humanity in her and couldn't help but understand others inside out, but she could also use that to her advantage. It was the same with Felix, but she couldn't help but connect with those she strips of their mask. That was something he couldn’t possibly comprehend.

She was there when the Blood Gulch crew reunited, and when Felix finally dropped his own mask. Her shock was something that never came, as if she knew it would occur. Cerri didn’t hate him for it or feel betrayed, she never really trusted him in the first place, she honestly doesn’t trust anyone, not even herself. Felix thought she’d be hurt by his deceit, but it came to a surprise on his part when he saw she wasn’t affected one bit. It was unknown to the both of them.

It only made the challenge much more alluring. All she could do was keep digging and try to find the reason behind his motives, behind all of it, behind him. Felix wanted to find out the exact same things about her. It was like an addiction, for two. It became a bit of a distraction. She had helped the Reds and Blues take down the Radio Jammer as well, probably the only time Felix and Cerri ever actually learned anything meaningful about each other.

It was after that, things started to spiral. Neither could think straight, they couldn't sort out their priorities and separate them from their own selfish desires.

Cerri found herself questioning everything she's ever been told about anyone, over analyzing everything. She would always wonder, why did this have to happen to her? To them? To everyone? She wasn't sure if she could stay in anyone's presence, could she truly trust anyone if they found out about her secrets? Things that she had never told anyone before. She couldn't risk having Felix alive, Cerri was aware of the many possible outcomes from continuing her infatuation with the mercenary. None of them were good.

Felix had similar troubles: even if Cerri had developed into something important to him, it got in the ways of his main goal. He didn't have the choice to quit this far into the game, it was sealed the moment he fell of the edge. And he could see she was close to falling as well. He had confided in Cerri and she had done the same with him, but she was the enemy once more. Deep down he doubted himself and his decisions, if he could trust the black-armoured soldier with his weakness. This was something he couldn't risk, not even now.

They both doubted each other, no matter how much they tried they could not bring themselves to truly trust one another. In the end, they had concluded that they couldn't continue. It was their choice in the beginning and they had to see it through to the end, they no longer had access the path they desired. They would have to eliminate each other as soon as possible, as one mercenary to another.

After all, you should never mix your personal life with business. Especially if you love the enemy.


	6. Our Weaknesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first kill is always the hardest, it's war's way of weighing the soul.

 Her feet dragged against the tawny earth beneath as she crossed the spacious land, the skin just beneath her eyes pooled into bags however her lids never blocked her sight. The air was chilly as a sharp draft swept through the cave and a shiver ran up Cerri's spine, she breathed in and then heaved a sigh.

_Fucking hate the cold…_ The thought kept replaying in her head like a mantra, but she wouldn't turn around to go back inside just yet. She couldn't. Her bed was there waiting for her, all warmed up from her body heat and the blanket thrown aside from when she had gotten up a couple minutes ago. It was the fast track to the land of dreams and nightmares, the last place this worn out woman wished to venture.

She stopped near the large opening that lead to the lake down below, her empty gaze peeking over the edge to look down at the dark waters. Her armour-less reflection could barely be seen with little to no light reaching in to refract it, not like she minded much.

Cerri set herself down and found a comfortable spot right on the edge to let her feet dangle, swinging back and forth as her mind traveled else where. Her eyes falling shut for only a second.

"Cerri?"

She jumped at the sudden voice and her eyes snapped open, her sights set on a tall dark skinned man with dreadlocks tied up in a ponytail. The aqua hue of his shirt was a good indicator as to who it was along with his familiar voice.

"Tucker?"

"Unless you know another person that's aqua." She rolled her eyes and stared back down at the water, Tucker invited himself to sit next to her on the sturdy ground and focused on her empty expression.

"So…"

"…"

The string of silence between them was tight, he didn't know what to say to the frowning introvert who didn't even seem to acknowledge him. A faint breeze swooped in and tried to drag Cerri's thin training sweater away, but only lifted the hem off the ground by an inch. She zipped up it up and breathed a sigh.

"Tucker," She addressed the man next to her, her voice was clear and stern as if she was contemplating on something, "do you ever wonder why we're here?"

"Well, I don't know about you. But Caboose kept talking in his sleep, it was really fucking annoying."

Cerri had found that philosophical inquiry has fell on dull ears as she heaved another deep sigh from her lips, "No, Tucker. I didn't mean by why are we out here near the ominous lake..."

"Oh," He glanced at his fellow blue soldier before redirecting his attention to the coal black fabric of his thick sweatpants, "what do you mean then?"

"I don't know, it's just- I mean I don't-" The troubled young woman continued to cut herself off, finding the sentences she was forming in her mind were not sufficient enough to explain her feelings. Tucker waited patiently for her to actually continue on with a single sentence, but was slowly spacing out due to lack of interest in the whole emotional turmoil stirring within his teammate.

"Cerri, what the hell is this about? Legit."

"How can you... _kill_ so easily?"

Cerri could see the confusion gradually increasing on Tucker's face as he answered her question, she could hear the pinch of sarcasm in it, "...I aim my gun at the fucker who's trying to kill me? Why are you asking? I saw you kill a bunch of FED's back in the canyon with Wash."

Her thick eyebrows furrowed as quickly as a frown formed on her lips, she turned her body away from him ever so slightly so her hair blocked the sight of her face.

"It's not like I wanted to-"

_-kill,_ She found herself stopping short once again, however she couldn't understand what was so different. She had no trouble even shouting the word back when she was just another civilian, but she wasn't just another person walking down a sidewalk anymore. Not since the second she took hold of a machine of conflict and pulled the trigger.

"It's not like any of us wanted to either. We didn't really have a choice." The man with dreads paused, thinking over what he had just said.

_What movie did I hear that line from?_ Either way, he corrected himself not a moment later, "Nevermind, that's a lie. I did sign up to be a soldier, but I really did it cuz chicks love a man in uniform." He replied with a sly tone, you could hear the mischievous smirk on his lips before it was replaced with a grouchy expression, "That is until I got dumped in that stupid fucking canyon with Church and Caboose."

"Church?" The Captain shifted her form back in the direction of her former subordinate, the "new" name grasping her attention and causing the troubling thoughts to settle for a bit.

"Yeah, Church. He was our captain before Wash and the whole Freelancer bullshit. Caboose would kill him a lot, which was pretty fucking funny but then Church would never actually die because he was a ghost. But he wasn't a ghost and was really a freakin A.I or something. I don't know, I didn't really pay attention after that point, it was all just annoying and repetitive after a while."

There was a long pause of silence as Cerri stared at Tucker with an indescribable expression, not that it was complex. She simply had a empty dark glare per usual, he couldn't help but avert his eyes from time to time to try and dial down how uncomfortable he was.

"You guys are incomprehensible."

"Um, thanks?" She quirked a split-second smile and returned to her longing stare at the lake below, "So, how did you feel about...killing others? You don't know them, but at the same time they could have a life of their own and could be innocent."

"One thing I've learned to do, is just not give a shit and think about what you wanna do. I know that sounds like I took it out of a chick flick, but I don't watch that crap. Trust me."

Cerri looked at Tucker a bit surprised, a faint smile showing, "What? Have you never watched a Cameron Diaz movie?" He gave her a look of complete confusion.

"Cameron Diaz?"

"Yeah man," She soon remembered where she was and what point in time it was, "oh right. You guys are a full millennium ahead, I'll show you sometime if I get the chance."

"Oh no, you are not showing me some movie about finding your soul mate."

"Tucker, I am your Commanding Officer."

" _Was_. You _were_ my Commanding Officer."

"I still have power over you!"

"In your dreams!"

A smirk stretched out onto her lips as she hopped up from her place on the ground, "You're right." She turned her back to him and started to walk away, "I've always preferred being on top in my dreams."

Tucker watched her leave for the Captain's quarters as he quickly muttered to himself, "Bow chick bow wow."


	7. The Sexy Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the High School AU, I came up with this idea while I was bored out of my mind while *cough cough* “working” on my Ethics project.
> 
> Anyways, how exactly did Rose handle High School level Spanish?

Study Hall. The sanctuary of peace and quiet for all who wish to revise what they've learned in their classes, that also included Rose, who sat near the back with her close friend Lopez to help her practice her Spanish.   
  
_ "...as well as lowering the social...h-height of-” _

  
"No," Lopez replied bluntly, his tone strict but patient, " **_level_ ** **.** " He repeated for what seemed the tenth time, " _ as well as lowering the social  _ **_level_ ** ."   
  
Rose frowned with creased eyebrows as she looked down at the notes she made, skimming over them to see where she went wrong. But she couldn't find any solutions to her mistake, a sigh left her lips as she propped her elbow up on the desk and leaned against her hand.   
  
"I'm sorry Lopez…it's just," She breathed in and let out an aggravated sigh, "I didn't think Spanish would be this hard."   
  
The blank faced boy watched Rose's facial expression for a moment before typing on his phone, he gently slid the brown cased device into his friend's view so she could see the message. She looked down at it.   
  
_ Spanish may be a detailed language, but you're making it more difficult than it actually is. _   
  
"I know I know, I'm sorry," She slouched a bit in her seat and quickly slid his phone back across the mahogany table, she bit her lower lip as her mind raced to find a quick solution herself before continuing on, "What do you think I should do?"   
  
Lopez lifted his phone to start typing a new sentence until a familiar voice called for his attention from the door entrance, he turned to face them while Rose sat up straight and shifted her attention to the door. Donut had poked his bleach blonde haired head in with a look of urgency painted on his innocent face.   
  
"Sarge asked me to come and get you, he needs your help in the garage with the warthog."   
  
He closed his dark earthly toned eyes as another dreaded sigh escaped him, his chair audibly slid across the tiled floor as he stood up now looking down at Rose. His thumbs slid across the keyboard as he showed his struggling classmate the new message.   
  
_ Looks like we're out of time again. Just keep practicing the readings, sorry. _   
  
The gentle blonde nodded a bit disappointed, but understanding nonetheless, "It's alright, I know you've been busy with your project for mechanics lately…" Her lips curled upwards into the sincerest smile she could produce at the time, "I'll figure it out on my own."   
  
Her friend nodded and gave a loose wave before heading off with Donut, she quickly returned the wave before going back to her infuriating practice sheets. It was true, Lopez busy with his own things, everyone was busy since exam week was creeping just around the corner.   
  
Even so, he found small slots in his free time to try and help out the lost little girl, as she tried to weave an effective route for her to pass her exams for Spanish. So far, luck has not been on her side…   
  
_ “...those...who enter the network?...as i-it use to become more popular?" _

_ “Those who access the network to their use to become more popular.” _   
  
Her eyes shot up at the intimidating voice looming over her, her hazel orbs locked with a deadly brown that made a shiver run down her spine. The expression on his face was always the same, but she had grown used to to that. It was similar behaviour to Cerri, whom always had a stoic look on her face and a glare in her eyes that could make anyone uncomfortable given time. The only problem was his voice, he was numerous octaves lower than any of the students at school that Rose has ever heard, the only exception to this was Maine. He didn't attend the same school, and he didn't really talk much after his accident, but his bark was without a doubt just as fierce as his bite. She knew him well back in middle school.   
  
"I-I'm sorry?" She said with all the strength she could muster, the height levels and voice differences were no help at all to the situation. The young man dressed in a dark green pointed to the sentence she had just read.   
  
"You made three errors when reading this sentence." His finger moved away but seemed to find something else on the page to pick at, "You've also translated both of these sentences wrong and didn't bother to at least use a dictionary to correct them."   
  
She sunk further into her hard plastic seat with every word he had said, in such a cold and calculating way, "I was…" She averted her eyes and stared down at the page littered with failed attempts and chicken scratch, "…going to correct them afterwards, with Lopez…"   
  
"If you can't do it yourself then you can't do it at all." His own natural glare persisted and continued to burn a hole into the poor girl's head, as well as her self-esteem.   
  
"A-Are you in a different Spanish class?" She tried to get him to leave her alone, his presence was rather strong and overpowering. Hopefully he would leave if she had spoe enough to satisfy him.   
  
_ Please, _ She pleaded in her head as she hesitantly looked back up,  _ God, don't throw me a curveball here... _ __   
  
"No. I'm not. I already speak the language fluently."   
  
That simple sliver of brand new information made something in her mind click, she looked up at him with her courage still hanging on a thin rope.   
  
"You're bilingual?" She asked hopefully, perhaps she could have two helpers for Spanish instead of just one. That is, if this Junior student would be willing to help a girl he barely knows.   
  
"That is what I just said, was it not?"   
  
"D-Do you think you could help me?"   
  
He gave a long and thoughtful stare as he was processing what she had told him, his brow raised as he spoke, "I have my own studies to focus." He took one step away but was stopped by her pleading.   
  
"Please?" He turned back slightly to see her face once again, she bit her lip softly as she tried to find the right ways to persuade this blunt person, "I really really want to pass, you said you were fluent in the language…and Lopez is always busy. So please? Just one session and I won't ask again."   
  
There was a long pause of silence as he internally debated whether to help girl, that he assumed was one of her classmates, or to leave her to her own devices. There was not a single word uttered from either of them or what seemed like forever, at least for the young woman who was being stared down by the 6”0 ft mocha skinned young man. Her focus moved from him to the various objects in front of her; her striped pink and white eraser dirtied by lead, her pastel coloured mechanical pencil that sat on her open binder, her plain pencil case with her other materials that poured out a bit onto the table.

“-Are you listening?” Her focus had immediately returned to its last sight which was now an expression of annoyance, she blinked before trying to remember if she had heard any of his words.

“I-I’m sorry, I spaced out…”

With a grunt, he repeated his words that she had missed, “I said meet me in front of the school. 3:45. Don’t be late, this will be the only time I do something like this and you owe me.” And with those final words he walked off to his own space in the far back corner of the room and begun his own studying, Rose watched him for a bit however quickly turned back to her own work when he glanced up. Her phone started to vibrate in her back pocket and began to play a tune she had assigned to one of her closest friends, she scrambled to answer her phone and rush out of the room temporarily when it started to catch the attention of other students in the room.

“Hey Cerri, what’s up?”

_ “Hello Darling, how’s the studying going?” _

Rose groaned as she leaned against the wall just outside the room door, “Yeah, not so great…”

_ “Spanish kicking your ass again?” _

“What do you think...” She muttered in a low voice, as to not disturb the others and to keep her conversation private as well as out of hearing range for those who pass by.

_ “Same as usual, gotcha. Wasn’t Lopez supposed to help you with that?” _

“Red team needed him in the garage,” She tucked a loose strand of dirty blonde hair behind her ear, “you know how Sarge is when it comes to competition with Tucker and the boys.”

_ “Yeah, I know, he makes everything a- Felix, piss off! I’m on the phone!” _

Rose became confused by the sudden interruption but waited for Cerri to continue on, there was a short pause and she could hear a voice in the background but it wasn’t loud enough for her to hear their words clearly.

_ “I will help you with math in a second, sit your ass down and look in a mirror or something! Jesus!” _ The loud banter had soon receded and Cerri returned to her phone,  _ “Sorry, Felix was being an ass again.” _

She let out a light hearted giggle when she heard Felix’s words ever so faintly in the back,  _ “No, but you’ve got a great one yourself, it’s quite the glorious view…!” There was a clutter of sounds and someone was hit, “Ow!” _

“Uh, Cerri? You guys okay over there?” The line went silent for a moment before her friend’s voice returned.

_ “Yeah, we’re good. I just wanted to call to see if you wanna head out to get pizza with us later, Kayla and Mich can’t come." _

“Sorry, can’t. Got someone else to help me with studying."

_ “Really? Who? Cuz if it’s Donut then you’re fucked.” _

“No no, it’s not Donut it’s-” Her sentence stopped short as she came to the realization, she hadn’t asked his name, she barely even remembered it from class, “um…”

_ “Who is it?” _

“It’s one of Felix’s friends, the tall one?...Sam Cortez...no, Ortez, I think?”

_ “No way! You got Locus to help you?” _

Rose was a bit taken back by her surprise, nonetheless the silver tongued brunette she was with followed suit,  _ “Wait, seriously? Are they hooking up or something?” _

_ “Now I hope they do, you even said it yourself, Locus needs to lighten up. Same goes for Rose.” _ The blonde’s cheeks flushed as she heard the wide smirk on Cerri’s face stretch as their little exchange continued.

“No!” She whined in protest however continued to try and keep her voice down, “He’s only helping me with Spanish.”

_ “You do realize, Spanish is one of the sexy languages right? He could dirty talk you so hard he’d have you begging in seconds, and the voice is a nice bonus to that.” _

Felix couldn’t help but add in,  _ “Do you seriously take the time to think about Scarface that much? What about me? I mean, my voice may not be deep but it definitely catches  _ **_your_ ** _ attention.” _

“Guys, can you flirt when I’m not involved? Or else I’ll have to tell Wash.” A frown was now plastered on her face as she tried to rid her cheeks of the dusty red they were.

_ “Whatever you say Darling, seeya.” _

“Have fun.” The call ended and she pocketed her phone as she stepped back into class, her cheeks finally back to their natural fair skin tone.

_ I can never have a normal conversation with her... _


	8. A New Addition To The Blues Part 1

It was a rare day in the canyon for both the Reds and Blues, the sun was out as always yet no one felt the need to cause any sort of conflict or mayhem. Clearly there was something wrong, and that something was crawling around the Blue Base seemingly undetected. Tiny little paws staining the steel floors with multi-coloured prints that left the disaster area that once was their kitchen space, even though this odd yet terrifying creature had caused such a commotion so early in the morning it had woken none of the Blues that were fast asleep. That wouldn’t last long, unfortunately. Soon they would wake up and find the oh so “subtle” clues of this destroyer’s presence.

Caboose was fast asleep in his private quarters bundled up in his blanket and venturing through his oreo-filled dreams, that is until he felt something poking his delicate nose that twitched slightly at every touch. He shifted, trying to stay in the land of dreams but sadly he was slipping out of the limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness.

“No…!” He whined when his dreams came to an end, pulling the bright blue and yellow blanket further up to cover his face. The blonde turned his back and tried to silently lull himself back to sleep. But to no avail, he continued to be prodded by needy little digits. The groggy soldier attempted to swat the hand away in a lazy manner before tucking his own hand back into the warmth of his wool covers, for a while nothing disturbed him and a smile settle on his face as he slowly drifted off. That is until a light weight appeared at the foot of his bed and approached him with legs seemingly made out of jelly, with a small shout of surprise they fell onto Caboose’s side.

His dark blue eyes snapped open as he sat up and looked down at the tiny figure that sat on the bed with him. Large azure orbs stared up at the towering man, her soft and wavy locks framed her tanned chubby cheeks like strands of chocolate. She had a pale blue shirt that was covered by bright red overalls, sporting stains of what Caboose recognized as some of the leftovers of last night’s rations. The innocent looking girl raised one of her dirty hands and waved.

“ _ Hola. _ ”

It took a few moments for this blue soldier to register that this infant had even said anything, and waved back with an equally innocent smile.

“Hello!”

  
  
  


Church woke up as the scorching sun finally settled high up in the clear blue sky, he yawned openly while dragging his feet across the cold floor so he can get to his morning routine. Tucker was still sound asleep but he would get to waking him up once he got, at the very least, some coffee in his system. He could hear Caboose down the hall in his own room talking lively as if he was having a conversation, however he left it alone and continued on to the kitchen.

“I am not in the mood to deal with that shit right now…” He grumbled to himself, stepping into the new area and heading straight for the cabinets. But he stopped suddenly when he felt something squish underneath his foot accompanied by a mushy sound, his cold and tired eyes looked down at the mashed potatoes left on the floor. He continued to scan the floor with his anger slowly rising, a lowly growl rumbled from his throat, he spun around and headed straight for his comrade’s-soon to be dead man’s- room.

Church’s footsteps stomped towards the door decorated with small doodles and a sign that read “CABOOSE’S ROOM”, he wasted no time having the reinforced door open and he stepped in.

“Caboose! What the hell did you-!” The fit of rage was stopped short when he saw the sight before him.

There the blue soldier lay, on the ground with markers and crayons out while he drew on papers that were clearly old written reports, however this was nothing new. What shocked him was the little girl lying on the floor opposite of him doing the same, well, that is until their lead private decided to barge in and grab their attention.

“Church!” Caboose exclaimed happily as he got up and went over the stunned man with one of their drawings, shoving it into his hands, “Look what me and Dia drew!” Church looked down at the drawing, not completely sure what was going on and trying to process the last few seconds.

“Dia? Hold on!” He shook his head furiously as he shoved the drawing away and pointed to the toddler, who sat in silence, “Caboose, where the hell did that kid come from?”

“My mom always told em that babies came from a magical stork, it must have left before we woke up and dropped off Dia!”

The raven haired man stared at his teammate utterly confused as per usual until he felt something tug at his sweatpants, he looked down to see the little infant-Dia standing and holding onto his pant leg. They both stared at each other for a bit before she spoke.

“ _ Tengo el hambre, el señor. _ ” Her voice was gentle and blunt, cutting through the air so that Church could hear her loud and clear. He heaved a sigh in response and picked the girl up as he grumbled.

“Fucking perfect…”

“Ah, dollar or the swear jar.” Church snapped his attention to Caboose with a heated glare, only to be met with his usual cheery and oblivious grin.

“Just clean up your mess and get in the kitchen before I fu-” He stopped short and quickly corrected himself, holding back his bark as he spat, “ _ freaking _ kick you there.”

“Okay!”

The door closed behind him, leaving the childish trooper to clean up the scatter paper in his room. Church seethed as he carried Dia and tried to scrape the rest of the mashed potatoes of his foot and onto the floor to clean up later.

“I can never have a normal morning, can I?” He began to mutter to himself with an angry undertone that was slowly turning grumpy, “Nope. There’s always  _ something _ that has to ruin it.” As he spoke, Dia stared at him with curious eyes wondering why he had such a distorted and wrinkled up facial expression. The cobalt soldier noticed her gaze and glanced at her.

“What.” He said gratingly, not intentionally trying to be harsh to the child in his arms, but couldn’t help it. Especially if such a powerful emotion was second nature to him. But she didn’t seem affected at all and kept the same blank stare, soon enough her attention moved away from him and looked around at the bland beige corridor they were moving through.

He breathed another sigh as he knocked on the door of the only other soldier in the base, “Hey! Tucker, wake up man!” There was a minute of silence on the other side of the door, Tucker groaned softly as he tried his luck and didn’t respond, staying sprawled on his bed with his covers spread across him from the waist down. A loud knock came to his door again.

“Tucker, get up! I need you to clean up the kitchen!”

“Why don’t you do it!”

“Cuz I got this little brat to take care of!”

With that Tucker had immediately jumped out of bed and threw the blanket aside, rushing to get at least his boxers on and throwing on an aqua hued shirt. He opened the door, quickly brushing his dreads out of his face so he could get a good look at the little girl who stared at the African-American.

“You know, when I said I wanted a girl on the team. I didn’t mean this.” He remarked as he leisurely pointed to Dia, Church rolled his eyes as he walked off.

“Just clean the kitchen and get some food going, I gotta call Vic so maybe we can fix this mess.”

Tucker groaned and headed off to the kitchen so he could get started, Church headed to the main terminal in the base and tried to contact Vic. However, Dia had started to tug on his shirt to get his attention, he looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression.

“What? What do you want?”

“ _ Hambre. _ ”

“English,” He replied immediately, returning his attention to the terminal and typing in Vic’s number, “I don’t understand what you’re saying kid.” The tan child blinked in response, trying to figure out what exactly to do, until she came to the simplest conclusion she could conjure up in her mind.

“Hun…Hungry.” His eyes widened slightly when she made the effort to try and speak to him in a language he understood, “Oh. Okay then.” He turned his attention to the screen, waiting for command to pick up and answer. But it only went straight to voicemail.

With a heavy sigh, he shut off the terminal, “Alright, time for breakfast I guess?”

  
Dia nodded, the edges of her lips curling up slightly before going back to her monotone expression. The man who was carrying her turned away from the terminal and headed off to the kitchen with the still messy child.


End file.
